The Family Business
by Nienna Nir
Summary: Tony gave Steve his word he'd get Bucky Barns the best medical care money could buy. He neglected to specify how that was going to play out. Get in the car, we're going to see someone smarter than Stark.


**Notes:**

I had absolutely no intention of rolling any of the new marvel movies after CA:WS into my universe and then I saw Black Panther and now all my plans are a smoking crater. (Well, not really, actually a lot of my problems in my outline are now solved so it's like a smoking crater filled with a giant Vibranium meteorite so everything is actually cool)

This story in the series and the next one are now sort of a wobbly mess of cannon divergence. Let me explain, no, there is too much. Let me sum up:

The timeline divergence takes place about 30 minutes into Age of Ultron, after the team has recovered Loki's scepter but before the scene in the lab. Most of AoU and none of CA:CW (except the UN conference) actually happen in this timeline. Most of AoS is also not compliant to this timeline. Black Panther takes place between this story and then next one, Domestic Dissension.

* * *

"Do you want a piece of gum, Barnes?" Tony asked, tossing a smarmy look over his shoulder as he loped lazily down the spiral ramp, a long, thin metal case clutched in one hand. "Sometimes that helps."

"I'm going to wring your neck," Steve hissed back venomously, his hand clutching so hard at Bucky's bicep that the metal plates were giving a faint creak under the pressure.

"You're still bitter because you thought we were crashing you into a mountain aren't you?" Tony asked, tilting his sunglasses down to peer at Steve over the top.

"No!" Steve replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Why would I have problems with plane crashes? Why would either of us have the slightest problem with plummeting to the ground at high speed?"

"Okay, fair point," Tony conceded, continuing down the ramp. Bucky's face had a decidedly green tinge to it that wasn't improved by looking over his shoulder at the pair of stone faced women in red armor, their shaved heads adorned in intricate tattoos and spears clutched in their hands as they followed the trio. He made a distressed sound in the back of his throat before inching closer to Steve.

"Don't mind them," Tony said airily, waving one hand in a dismissive gesture.

"I'm definitely minding them," Steve replied. "On account of the fact that I'm not at all sure I can take them, and I haven't had to say that since Roosevelt was president."

"Oh they'll kill you stone dead," Tony agreed, his tone unconcerned. "And even the suit isn't likely to save us. Which is why I left it on the jet as a show of good faith. But they are highly professional and we are not going to do anything to make them angry so there's no reason to worry."

"Seriously, where are we?" Bucky asked, his wide eyes darting out the massive windows to take in the magnetic train speeding by.

"I told you, Wakanda," Tony shrugged.

"Wakanda is a third world country," Steve gritted out.

"You keep telling yourself that, Spangles," he huffed. "Look, will the two of you just relax? I promised you Barnes would get the best doctors money could buy, these are the best doctors."

"I don't say this lightly, Tony," Steve replied with a frown. "But I think we've finally found people who don't need your money."

"Yeah we're working on a slightly different currency here," Tony nodded. "Look sharp, don't embarrass me in front of the lady, Barnes."

"Anthony!" a richly accented female voice met their ears and Tony quickened his steps, half jogging down the ramp.

"Shuri!" he replied with a grin. The woman, her elaborately braided hair piled up on top of her head, gave a delighted grin as she and Tony exchanged some sort of ritual handshake. She ended it with a delicate punch to his arm, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

"What did you bring me?" she asked

"Princess Shuri," he replied, turning to wave a hand at Steve and Bucky. "Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes."

"Your highness," Steve gave a nod of his head as Bucky cringed over his shoulder at the guards with fresh concern.

"Oh he is a busted up white-boy, isn't he?" Shuri said, her face taking on an expression as if she were looking at a three legged puppy at the pound. "Anthony, I'd have fixed this one for free just for the challenge."

"Fair wages, it's the Stark way," Tony reached into his pocket, pulling out a small Ironman flash drive. "Everything I have on synthesizing vibranium." he held it out to her by the keychain and she snatched it from his grasp with fresh glee.

"I take it back," She replied, reaching out and grabbing Bucky by the arm with her other hand, forcibly steering him toward a circular space in the middle of the lab. "You do bring me the most perfect presents. Other men insist on sending me flowers and jewelry." She jerked Bucky to a halt, wagging a finger in his face.

"Stay." she ordered firmly, turning on her heel and sweeping up a tablet from the nearest bench.

"I'm too terrified to do anything else," he muttered half under his breath.

"Oh, you're right, that arm has to go," Shuri shook her head. "The sooner the better."

"I could build him a new one," Tony said with a shrug.

"But mine would be better and you know it," she gave him a coy look but he didn't rise to the bait. "Also, unless I'm very much mistaken."

"And you are never mistaken," Tony said with a fond smile.

"I am never mistaken," she agreed. She frowned down at her tablet, her fingers flicking over its surface before she looked up at Bucky. "How's your head now sergeant?"

"I, my headaches' gone," he said in disbelief, rubbing the middle of his forehead as if he thought it might not be there. "I've had a headache since."

"You've probably had it so long you stopped realizing it," She said, her voice kind. She laid a gentle hand on his metal wrist. "Sergeant, your prosthetic is giving off a number of electrical and low level radiation signals that are detrimental to your long term health, even with your advanced healing factor. I've created a dampening field that will temporarily limit the effects but it is not a solution. The best thing for you would be to remove it and replace it with a safer design. If you're willing, we should begin right away." Bucky cast a cautious look in Steve's direction before turning back to Shuri

"I don't want to hurt anyone else," he said hoarsely.

"As Mr. Stark's friend, I promise you we will do whatever it takes to make you whole again." she replied, giving his wrist a gentle squeeze. Bucky nodded and she motioned him toward a chair where a number of lab assistant were setting up their equipment. He gave one last look at Steve before allowing her to steer him off.

"What did you have to do to get us in here?" Steve asked, his voice low as he edged closer to Tony.

"It's not like that, we have some family history, we've been keeping each other's secrets for years." Tony replied. "My old man and King T'Chaka's father go way back to before the war. Shuri and I met at an MIT alumni event. They have more vibranium than they can ever use, but they haven't been able to synthesize more. They have a better chance of making my research viable at this point than I do. And in exchange Barnes gets a new lease on life."

"Their secret's safe with me," Steve said, turning to him.

"I never doubted that," Tony said with a shrug.

"Captain Rogers?" Shuri called. Steve gave a stiff nod before hurrying across the lab, allowing Shuri to settle him in at Bucky's side as the technicians worked to remove his arm. Shuri waited a moment longer to be sure they were distracted before making her way back toward Tony.

"There is some brain damage but if it's from HYDRA's memory altering procedures or long term exposure to the arm, I can't tell," she said in a low voice. "There's a good chance he can heal once it's removed, I'd like to keep him here a few weeks before we install the replacement but I didn't see a reason to bring it up until we know one way or the other."

"I didn't mention it either," Tony replied. "We're meeting up at the UN conference in a couple of weeks, we'll swing by on the way home." Shuri gave a nod.

"You do know how to get yourself into trouble," she said with a sigh.

"Speaking of," Tony held out the case he was carrying and Shuri eyed it suspiciously. "Your father said to give this to you."

"All right then," she took the handle as if it were something dead and repulsive, gingerly setting it aside as she made a disgusted face. "I'll just leave that there until I can construct it a more secure container. And perhaps bury it in concrete."

"Shuri," he repressed a grin.

"At the bottom of the ocean," she added.

"Just don't tell me which one," he replied jokingly.

"Anthony, even you are not so cavalier as to meddle in something so dangerous." she said, shaking her head.

"Princess, I wish I had your confidence in me," he replied.


End file.
